George H.W. Bush Channels Kenny Rogers in Romney Endorsement

“Barbara and I are very proud to fully and enthusiastically endorse and support our old friend, Mitt Romney,” former president George H.W. Bush says. “He’s a good man, he’ll make a great president, and we just wish himwell.”

And then former first lady Barbara Bush urges her husband to sing country legend Kenny Rogers’s “The Gambler,” a circuitous but unsubtle way of telling Santorum, Gingrich, and Paul to get the heck out of therace.

“Aren’t you going to sing a song for us? Know when to fold ‘em?” she askedthe 41st president.

“Yeah,” he said. “I do think it’s time for the party to get behindGovernor Romney. And she was reminding me Kenny Rogers sang, ‘It’s time when to hold ‘em and time when to fold ‘em.’ Well I think it’s time for people to all get behind this good man …We’re so convinced and we’ve known Mitt for a very long time, that he’s the man to do this job and get on and win the presidency, and that’s about it. And with no further ado, here’s theman.”

And then Romney, trying to add a bit of levity, starts talking about the chairs in Bush’s office, asking “Are these the chairs you sat in as president?” Cameras flash repeatedly during the weird exchange. The takeaway is that Romney not only sits in a cabinet style chair, but a chair that Bush actually sat in during hispresidency.

There’s supposed to be another endorsement coming soon from Paul Ryan. Ryan sits in important chairs, too, youknow.